Jon Hamiltonhttp://waer.org
enThe Shipwreck That Led Confederate Veterans To Risk All For Union Liveshttp://waer.org/post/shipwreck-led-confederate-veterans-risk-all-union-lives
On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded and sank while traveling up the Mississippi River, killing an estimated 1,800 people.<p>The event remains the <a href="http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/sultana.htm">worst maritime disaster</a> in U.S. history (the sinking of the Titanic killed 1,512 people).Mon, 27 Apr 2015 09:49:00 +0000Jon Hamilton33645 at http://waer.orgThoughts Can Fuel Some Deadly Brain Cancershttp://waer.org/post/thoughts-can-fuel-some-deadly-brain-cancers
The simple act of thinking can accelerate the growth of many brain tumors.<p>That's the conclusion of a <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(15)00429-8">paper</a> in <em>Cell</em> published Thursday that showed how activity in the cerebral cortex affected high-grade <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007222.htm">gliomas</a>, which represent about 80 percent of all malignant brain tumors in people.<p>"This tumor is utilizing the core function of the brain, thinking, to promote its own growth," says <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Michelle_Monje-Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:15:00 +0000Jon Hamilton33507 at http://waer.orgThoughts Can Fuel Some Deadly Brain CancersNo Rest For Your Sleeping Brainhttp://waer.org/post/no-rest-your-sleeping-brain
There's new evidence that the brain's activity during sleep isn't random. And the findings could help explain why the brain consumes so much energy even when it appears to be resting.<p>"There is something that's going on in a very structured manner during rest and during sleep," says Stanford neurologist <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/josef-parvizi?tab=publications">Dr.Tue, 14 Apr 2015 19:45:00 +0000Jon Hamilton33087 at http://waer.orgSushi Science: A 3-D View Of The Body's Wasabi Receptorhttp://waer.org/post/sushi-science-3-d-view-bodys-wasabi-receptor
Researchers have discovered the exact structure of the receptor that makes our sensory nerves tingle when we eat sushi garnished with wasabi.Wed, 08 Apr 2015 22:12:00 +0000Jon Hamilton32842 at http://waer.orgSushi Science: A 3-D View Of The Body's Wasabi ReceptorHackers Teach Computers To Tell Healthy And Sick Brain Cells Aparthttp://waer.org/post/hackers-needed-teach-computers-spot-sick-brain-cells
Brain researchers are joining forces with computer hackers to tackle a big challenge in neuroscience: teaching computers how to tell a healthy neuron from a sick one.<p>"Sick neurons have a withered appearance, much like a sick plant has a withered appearance," says <a href="https://www.alleninstitute.org/our-institute/our-team/profiles/jane-roskams/">Jane Roskams</a>, an executive director at the Allen Institute for Brain Science.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:36:00 +0000Jon Hamilton32441 at http://waer.orgHackers Teach Computers To Tell Healthy And Sick Brain Cells ApartNo Easy, Reliable Way To Screen For Suicidehttp://waer.org/post/no-easy-reliable-way-screen-suicide-specialists-say
Even a careful psychiatric examination of the co-pilot involved in last week's Germanwings jetliner crash probably would not have revealed whether he intended to kill himself, researchers say.<p>"As a field, we're not very good at accurately predicting who is at risk for suicidal behavior," says <a href="http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~nock/nocklab/main-people.html">Matthew Nock</a>, a psychology professor at Harvard.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:58:00 +0000Jon Hamilton32418 at http://waer.orgNo Easy, Reliable Way To Screen For SuicideUniversity And Biotech Firm Team Up On Colorblindness Therapyhttp://waer.org/post/university-and-biotech-firm-team-colorblindness-therapy
More than 10 million Americans have trouble distinguishing red from green or blue from yellow, and there's no treatment for colorblindness.<p>A biotech company and two scientists hope to change that.<p>On Wednesday, Avalanche Biotechnologies in Menlo Park and the University of Washington in Seattle <a href="http://investors.avalanchebiotech.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=253634&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2028354">announced</a> a licensing agreement to develop the first treatment for colorblindness.Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:08:00 +0000Jon Hamilton32201 at http://waer.orgUniversity And Biotech Firm Team Up On Colorblindness TherapyMany Doctors Who Diagnose Alzheimer's Fail To Tell The Patienthttp://waer.org/post/many-doctors-who-diagnose-alzheimers-fail-tell-patient
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBJ6XccZnPg</p>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 07:44:00 +0000Jon Hamilton32107 at http://waer.orgMany Doctors Who Diagnose Alzheimer's Fail To Tell The PatientClues To Autism, Schizophrenia Emerge From Cerebellum Researchhttp://waer.org/post/clues-autism-schizophrenia-emerge-cerebellum-research
A new understanding of the brain's cerebellum could lead to new treatments for people with problems caused by some strokes, autism and even schizophrenia.<p>That's because there's growing evidence that symptoms ranging from difficulty with abstract thinking to emotional instability to psychosis all have links to the cerebellum, says <a href="http://www.massgeneral.org/neurology/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=16489">Jeremy Schmahmann</a>, a professor of neurology at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.<p>"The cerebellum has all these functions we were previously unaware of," Schmahmann says.<p>SMon, 16 Mar 2015 22:33:00 +0000Jon Hamilton31780 at http://waer.orgClues To Autism, Schizophrenia Emerge From Cerebellum ResearchA Man's Incomplete Brain Reveals Cerebellum's Role In Thought And Emotionhttp://waer.org/post/mans-incomplete-brain-reveals-cerebellums-role-thought-and-emotion
Since his birth 33 years ago, <a href="http://www.communityinclusion.org/staff.php?staff_id=157">Jonathan Keleher</a> has been living without a cerebellum, a structure that usually contains about half the brain's neurons.<p>This exceedingly rare condition has left Jonathan with a distinctive way of speaking and a walk that is slightly awkward.Mon, 16 Mar 2015 07:08:00 +0000Jon Hamilton31738 at http://waer.orgA Man's Incomplete Brain Reveals Cerebellum's Role In Thought And Emotion